Pneumatic tube systems (PTS) are a well-known means for the automated transport of materials between, for example, an origination location and any one of a plurality of destination locations (e.g., stations). A typical PTS includes a number of pneumatic tubes interconnected in a network to transport carriers between user stations. Various air sources/blowers (or other pneumatic flow devices) and transfer units provide the force and path control means, respectively, for moving pneumatic carriers through and from tube-to-tube within the system. Generally, transfer units move or divert pneumatic carries from a first pneumatic tube to a second pneumatic tube in order to route the pneumatic carrier between locations, or stations, in the PTS.
The pneumatic carriers of a PTS may be utilized to transport various materials, which are disposed within the pneumatic carriers. In medical facilities, pneumatic carriers often transport patient-specific materials from one location to another (e.g. from pharmacy to nurse station; from operating room to laboratory, etc.). Materials transported by a medical facility PTS often include biological materials (e.g. urine, blood, spinal, tissue and other biological materials). It is desirable in such instances that such materials be isolated in a sterile fashion within various vessels (e.g. vials, syringes, bags, etc.) that are positioned within a pneumatic carrier during transport. However, leakage and other unintended spillage of such materials remains a concern. For example, the spillage of patient samples within a pneumatic carrier may introduce undesired microbes onto internal surfaces of the carrier. Further, in the event of leakage of materials outside of the pneumatic carrier, additional secondary contamination concerns arise. That is, if contents of a pneumatic carrier spill out of the carrier into a pneumatic tube of the PTS, subsequent carriers passing through the pneumatic tube are susceptible to cross-contamination. As such, in current pneumatic tube systems, carrier leakage typically results in a partial or total shut-down of the system to allow maintenance personnel to disinfect the tube system components. Typically, such disinfection requires the use of specialized carriers that spread liquid solvents/disinfectants throughout the portion of the PTS that is being cleaned.